Author: EVAI

Christmas has come early for fans of the modern AC Cobra GT. AC on Monday announced a new 2.0-liter engine option that will bring the starting price of the retro sports car down to a targeted 235,000 British pounds (approximately $294,400). Final pricing and specifications will be announced closer to the market launch next year, though AC…

Electric vehicle startup Canoo has placed its remaining employees and what it calls a “mandatory unpaid break” through at least the end of the year, TechCrunch reports.

The report cites an email sent to employees, which said they would be locked out of Canoo’s systems at the end of the day Friday, and that benefits would last through the end of December.

Canoo in Oklahoma

This comes just a few days after Canoo announced that it was furloughing 82 employees and idling an assembly facility in Oklahoma due to lack of funding, TechCrunch notes. That facility hasn’t ramped up production; so far Canoo has only delivered small numbers of demonstration vehicles, including some for the U.S. Postal Service.

Canoo also earlier this year closed the Los Angeles office that originally served as its headquarters. In August the startup announced a move to Justin, Texas, where it’s maintained a corporate office since CEO Tony Aquila took over a few years ago.

Canoo Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle with Walmart logo

Canoo has lost many executives, including its CTO, CFO, and general counsel, meaning most of the original contingent that launched the startup in 2017 is now gone. That’s coincided with a change in direction under current CEO Aquila, who pivoted Canoo from its original plan of selling van-like EVs on a subscription basis toward commercial vehicles.

That pivot as attracted interest from Walmart and fleet-management company Zeeba, which announced orders for 4,500 and 3,000 Canoo electric vans, respectively, in 2022. In addition to the Postal Service, Canoo has also provided a handful of vans to NASA and an electric pickup truck prototype to the U.S. Army. But the startup hasn’t been able to convert this hype into revenue by ramping up vehicle production.

• Merger talks have begun between Honda and Nissan
• The merger will put the automakers under a joint holding company by August 2026
• EVs, hybrids, platforms, and software will be at the core of overlap
  

A potential strategic partnership between Honda and Nissan would ally them on intelligence, EVs, and more, the global automakers confirmed on Monday.

The companies signed a memorandum of understanding as a first step toward merger talks, with Mitsubishi potentially joining as a third partner. Nissan already owns approximately 34% of Mitsubishi shares, and there has been some platform-sharing between the two automakers.

The plan is for the merged automakers to operate under a holding company with a delisting of both automakers on the Tokyo Stock Exchange at the end of July or August of 2026. The shares of both companies would then be transferred into he new holding company.

A report from Japanese news outlet Nikkei cited competition from Tesla and Chinese automakers in the EV segment as one of the main factors behind the merger.

2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce

This follows a March announcement by Honda and Nissan of a memorandum of understanding for a “strategic partnership in the fields of vehicle electrification and intelligence” expected to cover EVs, hybrids, and software. Mitsubishi was tipped to join that partnership in August. The current alliance between Nissan, Mitsubishi, and French automaker has also collaborated with Honda in the past, most recently on the Altna battery-leasing joint venture.

Combined sales of Honda and Nissan in 2023 totaled more than 8 million vehicles. That would make the merged automaker the third largest by sales volume after Toyota and the Volkswagen Group, which sold 11.2 million and 9.2 million vehicles in 2023, respectively.

A full merger will likely be a needed lifeline for Nissan. The automaker in October announced plans to lay off approximately 9,000 employees, representing 6.7% of its global workforce, and cut production capacity by 20% due to declining sales, primarily in the U.S. and China.

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid

Both automakers are in the midst of an EV reset, with Honda preparing to roll out its 0 Series starting in 2026 and Nissan preparing a next-generation Leaf, as well as larger models for assembly in Mississippi.

The automakers noted the merger would allow for optimization of manufacturing systems and facilities and standardization of vehicle platforms.

Hybrids could present more immediate opportunities for integration. Honda’s two-motor hybrid system could replace Nissan’s e-Power hybrid system, which still hasn’t made it to the U.S. after years of discussion. Nissan, meanwhile, could take the lead in electrifying pickup trucks and SUVs—including the body-on-frame models Honda currently lacks.

This story was updated on Dec. 23 after the automakers confirmed the merger plans.

Stellantis is looking to patent heated wheel wells to keep snow and ice from building up during winter driving. This feature is described in a patent application published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Oct. 31, 2024, but filed by Stellantis Apr. 25, 2023. As described in the filing, it would rely on an electric heating…

What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Volvo XC40? What does it compare to? The 2025 Volvo XC40 is a small crossover SUV with just enough high-end details to qualify as a luxury model. Compare it to the Mercedes-Benz GLA- and GLB-Class models plus the BMW X1. Is the 2025 Volvo XC40 a good SUV? It’s not the freshest design in its segment and its…

Rolls-Royce has always prided itself on the quietness of its luxury cars, hence its use of names like Phantom, Ghost, and Spectre. So a near-silent electric powertrain would seem like a good fit.

U.K.-based Evice certainly thinks so. It’s the latest in a crop of companies marketing electric conversions of classic cars, and its first project is a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow sedan. Known internally as XP1, it’s a prototype for a conversion package for both the Silver Shadow and Corniche convertible that Evice hopes to start offering to customers in Spring 2026.

The prototype has a 77-kwh battery pack providing an estimated range of over 200 miles, likely as measured on the more lenient WLTP testing cycle, along with an 800-volt electrical architecture.

Prototype Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow EV by Evice

Output is 400 hp—substantially more than the original gasoline V-8 engine. Evice also claims to have upgraded the brakes, while an active suspension aims to provide the same pillowy ride as the original hydra-pneumatic suspension (derived from Citroën tech) with a greater degree of handling sharpness.

The interior features modern climate control and audio systems, as well as heated and ventilated power-adjustable seats and a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and a rearview camera.

Several other companies are restoring classic electric cars with modern powertrains—including some vintage Rolls-Royces. Another U.K. firm, Lunaz, has done electric conversions of the 1956 Rolls-Royce Cloud and 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V, as well as Bentley and Jaguar models.

Rolls-Royce Silver Corniche EV by Evice

A few of these have also been undertaken by, or commissioned by, automakers looking to tie their heritage to current electrification plans. Yet another U.K. firm, Electrogenic, built a Kia Pride EV restomod to celebrate that automaker’s 80th anniversary. Apprentices recently turned an Audi A2—a European-market hatchback that was a paragon of fuel efficiency when new—into an EV.

It’s also now possible to buy a new electric Rolls-Royce from the factory—the Spectre coupe. The storied brand is looking to shake its traditional reputation for portly vehicles and gas-guzzling V-12 engines by going all-electric before the end of the decade.

What kind of vehicle is the 2025 BMW X7? What does it compare to? The 2025 BMW X7 is a three-row luxury SUV. Compare it to the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, Audi Q7, and Cadillac Escalade. Is the 2025 BMW X7 a good SUV? The X7 is a properly luxurious BMW with a spacious interior, fine materials, excellent turbocharged power, and a supple ride. These…

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 33,456 older luxury cars because their glass sunroof panels may not be properly secured. The recall encompasses a number of different vehicles from model years 2001 to 2011, including CLK-Class coupes, E-Class sedans and wagons, CLS-Class sedans, and sedan, coupe, and wagon body styles of the compact Mercedes-Benz…

General Motors is recalling certain 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EVs because their federally mandated pedestrian warning systems may not be loud enough.

The recall includes 7,606 vehicles, which may have incorrect software and thus not produce warning sounds at sufficient volume to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 141, according to the NHTSA.

2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV

So-called “quiet car” rules that require electric vehicles and hybrids to emit warning noises at low speeds were first proposed in 2010 over concerns that a lack of engine noise would make vehicles too difficult for pedestrians to hear at these speeds. The rules weren’t finalized until 2018, however, and multiple delays and extensions meant they weren’t actually implemented until 2021.

A software update for the affected vehicles’ body control modules will make them compliant with these rules. However, despite being purely a software issue, the fix can’t be done via an over-the-air update and will require a visit to a dealership, where technicians will perform the work free of charge.

2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV

GM expects to mail owner notification letters Jan. 27, 2025, and has assigned reference number N242479760 to this recall. Owners can also contact Chevy customer service at 1-800-222-1020 for more information.

The Equinox EV arrived for the 2024 model year, but those earlier vehicles are not included in this recall. For 2025, GM finally fulfilled the this model’s value promise by launching a $34,995 version with 319 miles of EPA range. That value proposition, along with good first impressions of the 2024 Chevy Equinox EV, netted the Equinox EV a spot as a Green Car Reports Best Car to Buy 2025 finalist.

A Shelby Cobra replica allegedly used for filming of 1995’s “Bad Boys” is headed for auction The car is claimed to be one of two examples used for filming and the only one to have survived unscathed The car will go under the hammer at Mecum’s 2025 Kissimmee auction While most fans associate the Porsche 911 Turbo owned by Will Smith’s character…